Deadline to enter is July 24

The Milford Cultural Council (MCC), in partnership with the Italian American World War Veterans of the U.S. Post 40 (ITAM), is excited to announce a Call to Artists seeking designs for three new picnic tables to be creatively painted in a patriotic theme to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

The completed tables will be placed under the pavilion at Milford’s ITAM Veterans Hall, just steps off the Upper Charles Trail at 4 Hayward Field, in time for Labor Day.

Artists of all levels, including student, amateur, and professional artists, are invited to submit designs and paint the tables. ITAM Post 40 is purchasing and priming the tables and awarding a stipend of $500 to all three of the winning artists. Artists will be recognized on a metal plaque that will be installed on each table upon completion. The artists will also be recognized in an online portfolio of Milford’s public art projects.

Detailed information for artists, including a design template and link to the entry form, can be found at https://bit.ly/MilfordPicnicTables2026. 

Artists are required to submit their designs digitally using this online form: bit.ly/43BZRt1.

The deadline to submit designs is midnight on Fri., July 24. The MCC reserves the right to extend this deadline if needed. Each artist is welcome to submit more than one design proposal.

ITAM Post 40 Commander Eric Ruscitti states, “Our members are pleased to be working with the Milford Cultural Council to bring more patriotic tables to our outdoor public space. We look forward to seeing the amazing designs local artists create to commemorate America 250.”

Designs will be reviewed by members of the MCC and ITAM Post 40 based on feasibility, originality, innovation, and adherence to design criteria. The MCC will announce the winning artists on Mon., Aug. 3. All tables will be completed and put on public display on Sun., Sept. 6.

“The Milford Cultural Council launched the Brush to Table project back in 2021 as the first installment in our ongoing Art in the Parks initiative,” says Joanne Goggins, MCC Chair. “As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, working with the members of the ITAM Post 40 to add more patriotically themed tables to their location off the bike trail presented an excellent opportunity to add to our collection of functional art.”

This year’s public art project is a third round of the MCC’s Brush to Table Picnic Table Project, which has placed artistically painted picnic tables throughout Milford’s parks and outdoor community spaces since 2021. In 2022, the council launched Trash to Treasure, which invited artists to transform trash barrels into works of art for placement in parks and along the Upper Charles River Trail. And in 2025, the council worked with the Parks Department, the National Fitness Campaign, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts to bring the Town’s first large-scale mural to Milford Town Park as an eye-catching central element of the newly installed Fitness Court Studio®  Collectively, the council refers to all of these projects as Art in the Parks. 

To see a map and portfolio of Brush to Table and Trash to Treasure designs completed since the inaugural project initiated in 2021, go to MilfordMA.gov/309/Cultural-Council and click “Public Art Portfolio” under “Related Documents” on the bottom of the page.

Questions about this project can be emailed to [email protected].

As a local partner of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Milford Cultural Council seeks to promote excellence, inclusion, education, and diversity in the arts, humanities, and sciences to foster a rich cultural life for all Milford residents, thereby contributing to the vitality of our community and economy. The council welcomes ideas, recommendations, and feedback regarding programs and events funded or sponsored by the council. Interested Milford residents are encouraged to attend meetings, which are held the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. typically in Room 14 of Town Hall. Comments and requests for information can be emailed to the council at [email protected]. Learn more online at: MilfordMA.gov/309/Cultural-Council.  

Submitted by Milford Cultural Council